The Great Change
by millie-mione
Summary: Is this the end for Petunia? Read and find out. All characters belong to J.K. Rowling and to Jill Murphy.


Constance Hardbroom returned to bed that night feeling very happy about her birthday surprise, she felt as if she were now inside that special circle of shiny , happy people who smiled, laughed and were appreciated for who they were no matter what they did. She just hoped that Petunia was doing just as well.  
  
Petunia finished up the breakfast dishes. She ran to the front window to give Vernon one last wave good-bye as he left for work. She thought over Harry's question of why she hadn't just modified Vernon's memory in the first place to help hide the fact that she and he were magic folk. It made her think of all the time she wasted hating herself and taking it out on the world. Her life could have been beautiful, but no, she let herself get caught up in shallow things that really didn't matter, like a house in Majorca, being rich, and worrying about what other people thought.Petunia watched the Ennis' children, Pippa and Susan, run into her backyard yet again while playing frisbee toss.Usually , she or Vernon made scathing comments or admonished them sharply about trespassing, after which they'd call to their parents politely complaining about the girls' un-willingness to cooperate with them to avoid disneighborly confrontations.  
  
Susan and Pippa's figures faded and were replaced by hers and Lily's. It was the first summer that they both came home from school. Petunia persuaded Lily to come outside and play a bit as a breather from doing her 'History of Magic' essay. Petunia promised that she would help her finish writing it if she did.  
  
Both of their parents were gone, so the girls decided to head for the woods on the outskirts of town. Petunia brought the frisbee while Lily grabbed her essay and the radio.  
"Do you really have to bring that along with you,Lily? We're supposed to be having fun," Petunia admonished teasingly.  
  
"I'm all for fun, sister dear, but some of us have work to do, which reminds me, you and the dishes?" Lily teased back.  
  
"No problem. I've got it under control," Petunia said and took out her hands. She waved them in a circle and recited "Lavabum ornatum, comiadum eradicatum. Let's go."  
  
"You've really gotten the hang of this, haven't you?"Lily asked impressed.  
  
" I like to keep my skills up," Petunia bragged smilingly.  
  
"I wish that I could do the same thing for my essay, but 'no--o' underaged wizards and witches aren't allowed to do magic outside Hogwarts," Lily complained.  
  
" I know what we can do. Hand me your quill," Petunia said suddenly inspired.  
  
"What are you about to do now,Pet?" Lily asked a little worried.  
  
"It's a spell I remembered when I was at school. You see, a few wizards came to Cackles to visit, and they played rotten pranks on the girls, especially the first years. I got hit with the old Semolina bowl trick. My clothes and my hair got messed up. When the deputy head, Miss Edgescombe saw the mess, she marched my table off to the office where the princial accused us of doing magic to impress the visitors. When we tried to explain, she scolded us and sent us to the kitchens in the dungeons to wash the dinner dishes. While we were down there, two of our friends from the third year class, Phyllippa Crabtree and Halcyon Foxworth ,came and taught us the dish washing spell that you just saw me use. They instructed us to follow them ; because, they had a plan to sort those scoundrels into place. We watched them cast a spell on the quills of the boys while they were in the library writing. The spell ordered the to quills follow the boys and to record what they did during the day and then to write it on the walls when everybody went to sleep . It was so funny. When Miss Edgescombe saw the vandalism, she threw a dozen fits. The boys tried to tell her that it was some of the girls, but she assumed that they were at fault; because, we write with 'pencils' when we take notes in class. It was hilarious to see her and Grand Wizard Hellibore pummel the boys with spell blasts for their mischief. I plan to do a slight variation of the spell which will allow you to give dictation to your quill as it writes your essay. Don't worry, it will use your exact handwriting," Petunia confidently assured Lily.   
  
" Now, 'this' I have to see," Lily said.  
  
Petunia snapped out of her reminiscent daydream when she heard Harry and Dudley come into the kitchen to collect the garbage to take outside.  
  
"You look sad, is something troubling you, Aunt Petunia?" Harry asked while Dudley looked concerned.  
  
"Oh,---I was just remembering me and Lily at the Ennis girls' ages. I miss it when we used to hang out together during the summers after school. I loved some of the trouble we used to get into. "  
  
"Well, if trouble's what you want, me and Dudders here can happily oblige you," Harry joked.  
  
"Oh, no," she said laughing. "I know that boys your age are an absolute hand full. You know what we need to do?"  
  
"What, mum?"Dudley asked.  
  
"Go on a sugar binge at the sweet shops, and afterwards take in a movie," Petunia answered.  
  
"Okay,---" both boys answered.  
  
This would give her a little taste of her time with Lily as she spent the day with Harry and Dudley. They all ate themselves close to sugar comas, and went to see an action flick.  
She held both their heads close to her as they sat through the picture . They decided to pick up dinner from a local butcher shop. When they stepped out, Petunia nd Harry caught a glimpse of a man who brandished a wand in their direction. She held the boys close to her and apparated back to her house which she saw burned to the ground. Police and firemen were everywhere asking them how they got there. They also informed her that Vernon's office building blew up two hours earlier and that he suffered memory loss from shock.They said that he was at the hospital. She fainted while Dudley and Harry held her up. Neither Dudley nor Harry could believe what just happened. (Dudley even more so than Harry)  
  
Professor Lupin and Tonks apparated to the area, approached the boys announcing their intent to get them to safety, and helped them with Petunia. They moved her to an obscure area and apparated everyone away from Privet Drive.  
  
"We're so sorry about what's happened boys, so sorry," Tonks said sympathetically.  
  
"Oh my God, Vernon!!!!!!!!!!VERNON!!!!!!!!!!!" Petunia screamed waking up from her dizzy spell.  
  
"He's all right, let it out. Let it all out. Don't hold it in," Lupin said to her.  
  
" This is all our fault," she said looking at Harry.  
  
"No, it's mine," Harry answered back to her.  
  
Petunia shook her head vigorously and said," Don't you ever believe that. You're our only hope. These people would have done this regardless. They hate people like us. Lily and I were in dang-er before you were even thought of ; because, of our parentage. Ever since you told us that 'he'd' returned, I knew that it was only a matter of time before this happened to us."  
  
"What are you two talking about ?And why didn't anybody ever bother to tell me that this would happen to us?" Dudley asked confused and angry.  
  
" This happened to us, Dudley ; because, we're all wizards.You see,I never told you and Daddy; because, I didn't want what I was to scare either of you," Petunia explained.  
  
"You've kept this a secret from me and from Dad and now he's been attacked, and we've lost the house. That wasn't fair,mum. Dad could've been killed today!," Dudley spat at her caustically.  
  
"Listen, Diddy. I never meant for the family to get hurt. That is why I tried to live normally; I believed that we'd be safe among common people. That's why I shut your abilities down with a binding spell while I carried you. I made us disappear from the town square ; because, I saw a man pull out his wand to attack us. I now realize that I'll have to unbar your magic so that you can protect yourself," Petunia said crying.  
  
"I don't believe any of this that you're saying. Wizards... Magic," Dudley scoffed.  
  
"Let me show you," Petunia said to him sniffling.  
  
She waved her hand and he floated off the ground.  
  
"Put me down!!!" he yelled in fear.  
  
"Okay, Diddy," she said bringing him down. She performed the spell to unbind his powers and then threw her shoe at him which caused him to blink from in front of her to behind the sofa up-on which she sat .  
  
"What just happened, mum?" Dudley asked doubtfully.  
  
"It's a magical reflex, Dudley," Lupin answered.  
  
"I know that it's odd at first, Dudley,but you'll get used to using magic eventually," Harry reassured him.  
  
" We'll worry about that later,but right now we need to get you all settled here," Tonks said.   
  
"I have a teaching certificate, and can be an apothecary as well. I need to retrieve a copy of my certificate from Weirdsister College in Canada. I also have money from my royalties for my 'Foamy Gloss' potion, " Petunia offered.  
  
"You created 'Foamy Gloss'?," Tonks asked excitedly.  
  
"Yes, I did," Petunia answered sniffling while feeling a mixture of uncertainty, pride, and shock at her husband's brush with death.  
  
"House wives all over love your formula. In fact, my mother swears by it," Tonks said.  
  
"You see boys, I won a Potions contest. I invented a potion that repells dirt and scuff marks for up to six months. A year after I returned to Weirdsister to finish my fourth year of college, a company by the name of Gleason and Claw bought it from me upon agreement that I get thirty percent of the profit. My formula has remained unbeaten for almost twenty years.In fact, I still collect monthly royalties from it. I used some of the money to support and put Lily through auror training after mum succumbed to a fatal heart attack," Petunia told Harry and Dudley with her eyes lowered.  
  
"Royalties? We're rich!!!" Dudley yelled happily then stopped when he caught Harry mouthing the words 'your dad' as he looked at him with wide and disapproving eyes.   
  
"Oh, yes.How will we explain all this to Dad,mum?" Dudley asked suddenly starting to worry about what all this new information would do to his father's shock-induced mental condition.  
  
"Don't worry, Diddy. I'll sort it out. We'll be back to normal again soon, I promise. Reach me both your hands," Petunia said composing herself. She took them both to Christchurch to see Vernon. When they reached Vernon's room , he lay there propped up by pillows and sported a fixed stare with his mouth gaped. His hair was charred and wildly disheveled.  
  
"Omnisciatum liberatus,corpus regulatum," Petunia whispered as she leaned in closely to his ear.   
Vernon gasped like a swimmer who just re-emerged from the water to catch his or her breath and acknowledged them by saying, "Petunia, boys, you'll never guessed what happened today. A strange woman visited my office today and started making threats toward you all, so I stood up to her and gave her what for. She took out some kind of stick, began waving, and the next thing you know the office blew up. Thank the lord, that none of you is hurt. I tell you, she'd better look out; because, if I ever see her again, I'll immediately alert the auhorities!!!" he said hurriedly.  
  
"Vernon, we're all glad that you're okay too. Listen, we have a few things to tell you too, darling," Petunia started.  
  
Just as she was about to blurt it out , Professor Dumbledore appeared with Constance Hardbroom to stop her. They wore a doctor's and nurse's uniforms. They asked permission to speak to 'Mrs. Dursley' alone for a moment.  
  
"Please forgive me for giving you bad advice, Petunia. I had no idea that any of this would happen. As I said before, I only wanted to ease your burden, " Constance apologetically said with teary eyes.  
  
"It's okay, Connie. I'm just glad that he's still alive," Petunia said after grabbing her to hug her.  
  
"We're also glad, Petunia," Professor Dumbledore said gently.   
  
"Thank you both for coming to support me while I tell Vernon the truth," Petunia said sporting tears like Constance's.  
  
"Petunia, you don't have to tell him anything. That's why we came. I've come to you with an appointment offer from Weirdsister College that will let you teach potions there when we relocate your family to Canada," Constance explained.  
  
"To Canada? What about Harry and Dudley? How will they adjust?" Petunia asked shocked.  
  
"It's only four hours away from England. You'll be safe there. After all,who'd look for you all in Canada? We have a few aurors posed as secret police coming to relocate you all in a sort of witness protection program, Harry can still go to school at Hogwarts after the summer, Vernon can find a job like the one he has here, and Dudley can begin wizarding school over at Hellibore's with boys his own age," Constance explained.  
  
Petunia thought of all her memories here in England and how she'd miss everything , but she knew that it was for the best. She nodded her head to give her consent. She went in and explained the relocation situation to her family. A week later, they settled into a two-story house that was larger than the one on Privet Drive. Vernon got a better-paying job at a satellite company. Petun-ia and Harry secretly schooled Dudley so that he'd have some exposure to magic upon his entry to Hellibore's Academy.When summer ended, Harry left for Hogwarts, Dudley began his term confidently, and Petunia felt a familiar feeling rise within her when she stepped back into Weird-sister College's halls to facilitate 'Potions'. She and Constance wrote each other quite often dur-ing the year. Petunia found a confidante and sister in Lily's absence, and Constance finally got a friend away from her work environment who looked at her like a person instead of a towering figure made of quartz and granite who lived to execute all those who displeased her, as shehad once overheard Bat and Drill say about her behind her back. Through Petunia's close proximity , she would at last have the support that she longed for in every aspect of her life, social and occupational; all was complete for her now.


End file.
